Little Village Man Found Slain In His Back Yard
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago police were investigating the apparent stabbing death of a Little Village man who was found dead in his own back yard Tuesday morning after going out to buy milk.
Jose Rodriguez, 45, was found dead around 10:15 a.m. Tuesday in the 2200 block of South California Avenue. He'd apparently been stabbed to death, police said.
As CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports, before Rodriguez's body was found, he was last seen a few hours earlier as he went out to buy some milk. Sometime Tuesday morning he was attacked and killed in his own back yard.
His friend, Cesar Gonzalez, found his body.
"When I come in the alley I see blood right there," Gonzalez said, adding that he had trouble breathing after spotting Rodriguez's body.
"I get nervous. I didn't know what I'd do," Gonzalez said.
There was so much blood that Gonzalez knew his friend couldn't be saved.
"Nothing; nothing I could do," he said.
So Gonzalez ran for help and, soon his Little Village neighborhood home was swarming with police.
A stretcher was brought to the scene and placed outside the long gangway leading to the backyard. Rodriguez's friends and neighbors stood by and watched as the workers prepared to take Rodriguez's body away from the murder scene.
Heriberto Rodriguez grew up with Rodriguez, his cousin, in Mexico before migrating to America 25 years ago.
"He a good man. He's the kind of guy who never looked for a problem," Heriberto Rodriguez said.
But that didn't stop someone from brutally killing Jose Rodriguez on Tuesday.
"For somebody to do something like this is heartless. He was part of the community. He took part of us with him. He'll be missed," said Tara De La Rosa, who was Jose Rodriguez's friend for the past 15 years.
De La Rosa was especially worried because police have made no arrests. She said she'll be taking precautions until a killer is caught.
As of Tuesday afternoon, police said they didn't have any suspects. Neighbors and friends said they can't possibly figure out who would want to harm a man they described as friendly and respectful.
